


Through Rain, Snow, and Blood

by RainGoddess400



Series: Book 1- Young Awkenings [2]
Category: South Park
Genre: Blood and Gore, Kids will age up after the second chapter, Main pairing is still Stenny, Mutiple POV's, Pairings MIGHT happen eventually, Stan still has Nyctophobia, Supernatural Elements, dark fantasy AU, minor horror, more characters will be added as the story progress, rated T-M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-18
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-11-02 02:22:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 17,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10934985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainGoddess400/pseuds/RainGoddess400
Summary: The kids' first battle has come to pass, and many were sacrificed. Little time was spent grieving as the real fight has yet to come, the kids become pre-teens as they continue their training under the care of their Inner Guardian. However Stan's Guardian is hiding something, not only his identity but also about a new darkness that has just to be foreseen.





	1. End to the First Battle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/n: Welcome to the second arc: Through rain, snow, and blood.
> 
> This chapter will be Stan and Kenny's POV. Please enjoy)

_Stan_

A great feeling of deja vu washed over Stan the instant his eyes took in his surroundings, and at the boy standing in front of him. There wasn't a single noticeable difference within the vast blue sky littered with just a brightly shining sun, once again empty of clouds that were supposed to be the source for the warm wind blowing their hair and clothes plus the many white leaves through the air from the big tree behind Stan. Even the ocean beneath him and Chris was the same as Stan last saw it, crystal clear, before all of the color around him changed into a dull shade upon Chris' arrival. The white leaved tree was swaying gently in the breeze, causing more of it's radiant petals to drift far into the air, onto the ground, or onto the surface of the ocean.

Chris, who had his back to Stan, turned around. The blank look on his pale face made Stan frown with worry. "Didn't expect you to interfere so soon," Chris said, sounding not the slightest bit troubled with his statement. Furrowing his eyebrows together and curling his hands into fists, Stan remained quiet with the lack of words to say. The silence lasted for a few more seconds until it's broken by Chris, looking dead into Stan's eyes. "The Being of Darkness is close to being defeated," he informed.

Stan's eyes widened slightly, feeling the tiniest bit hopeful by the news. However before he could ask, Chris continued. "Since you're here to claim your body back, would you like to finish it off?" He asked with a smirk on his blank faced lips.

The human noirette's body shuddered with uneasy chills descending every inch of his skin, the mild wind continued to blow tenderly. "M-me?"

Chris lost his smirk instantly, giving the other black haired child a glare. "Yes you Stanley. Are you seriously still hesitant about fighting? Even after all the training we've done to get to this point, you still refuse to put your life on the line to save others?" Immediately Stan began to recall his mother and Kenny, how they're still out there battling the BOD. Stan was so sure that with the aid of both his and Kenny's Guardian alongside with his mother's strong magical prowess, they would surely defeat the Dark Being without any problem.

But such a thought was proven wrong the instant his mother and Kenny were bested...even without his help...

With trembling lips and quivering eyes, Stan looked off to the side with heavy guilt.

Glaring at the other for a few more moments, Chris sighed deeply, then looked away. He turned himself to face the vast area where the sky and ocean stretched above and beneath them, but suddenly the gentle breeze went to a complete standstill. The leaves that were in the air carefully fluttered down, some landing in the water and others onto the grass.

Chris pressed his lips tightly together, face looking grim. "He's here..." He muttered mysteriously.

Stan looked up at him whilst moving a strand of hair out of his face, feeling his lips curl downward into a frown again. "Who is?"

There was a beat of silence until Chris spoke, still looking out into the blue horizon. "This is something you must do Stan, although I have this dreadful feeling things won't go as planned once you've see him," he said, ignoring Stan's question. He slightly turned his head in Stan's direction, giving him a corner-eyed glare. "Since that's the case we're going to do a Power Link." As soon as he said this, shadows began to swallow the area around them, creeping up on them slowly and leaving not a single color behind in it's wake.

Stan swallowed nervously, the question he was going to ask gone the instant his eyes spotted the blackness showing itself. Chris turned his body to face Stan, eyes still narrowed. "I would explain to you what a Power Link is, but as you can see time won't allow me to. However I will say this." His glare hardened." Do _not_ mess up again."

Before the creeping darkness claimed them as well, Stan thought back on what the imaginary Kyle told him before the redhead transported him here.

_"You should've confronted him about it the instant you felt something odd about him. No matter how strong he is, a Guardian cannot harm their host so you had nothing to fear._

Stan closed his eyes. _"I couldn't do it after all..."_

_**/** _

_"I know you're ready, but you're not mentally prepared to fight like you thought were before. Don't let determination alone fuel you, allow yourself to feel the heat of battle and remind yourself who you're fighting for. Who you're fighting to protect."_

Stan felt every drop of rain pounding against him as he came to, but kept his eyes closed, one eye covered by his soaked black bangs. He felt different, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad one. All he knew was that he felt himself changing. He pushed the thought aside, however, when he also felt a presence before him, an evil one although he didn't feel intimidated by it.

Which he found really odd...

His ears picked up a deep voice sounding above him, but wasn't able to make out what they were saying, though he _was_ able to make out one word they said.

_"Kyle..."_

Stan's visible eye snapped open, and revealed a bright sapphire. He moved his eyeball upward without moving his head just in time to see a blade of red coming down towards him from his position on the ground, widening his eye once he saw whom it's wielder was. Their sharp white teeth all too familiar for anyone to forget.

"NOOO!"

Abruptly, a strong gust of wind blew from around them, the source coming from Stan as he continued to sit in place without moving an inch, his damp hair and clothes swaying in all directions. It was as if a hurricane was taking place as the rain scattered everywhere within the vicinity, there was a hard yet muffled thud from somewhere nearby, but Stan thought nothing of it as he slowly stood on his feet.

"What the fuck?!" The BOD tried to fight against the powerful rush of air the best he could in his weakened condition, causing his sword to disappear without his noticing and for him to slide with one foot back then planting his feet firmly on the ground with his arm arced in front of his face. The Dark man kept skidding backwards, little by little when all of a sudden the wind died away completely. The rain fell back into place and the droplets filled the silence, there was a faraway rumble of thunder that lasted no longer than ten seconds.

Now standing, Stan's radiant eye instantly narrowed in anger at the Being stood in front of him, their arm lowering in a cautious manner. Stan wasn't sure if this anger was of his own or not.

"No fucking way," the BOD muttered, their teeth forming into a frown of fear at the sight of Stan. The evil man sensed the boy was not only strong all of a sudden, but he felt great familiarity within him too. His powers felt akin to his Master's, the BOD thought Kyle was supposed to be the only one equivalent to the Master's status in said strength, so how is this kid...

"T-this is impossible. How...?" _"Can an unknown brat have this much power?!"_ Was what he thought inside his head, no longer able to voice it out loud due to great shock. Stan found himself smirking, satisfied that he's striking fear into a creature that's supposed to be doing the exact same thing to him instead.

 _"Now, kill it Stanley,"_ Chris said, his tone soft and manipulative. _"Make the monster pay for it's wrongdoings."_

Deepening his smirk, Stan stretched out his left arm and aimed his open palm directly at the BOD's gaping wound in their stomach. A dark red energy began to form around Stan's hand, increasing until it swallowed his palm whole. Without any delay, he shot the spell sans shouting it's incantation.

Time refused to slow down for the BOD as his death approached at a rapid rate, only snapping out of it at the last second as his last words were:

"S-SHIT!"

The energy blast went straight through it's mark with ease, leaving a bigger and visible hole in their stomach as purple blood splattered onto the grass. There was no flesh. Part of the house was seen from behind the circular wound, only a little obscured thanks to the abnormal colored blood leaking out from all corners. The Being of Darkness stood there with his blood sipping out immensely through his teeth, then he began to drop to the ground. Slowly, as if the rain was acidic to him all of sudden, smoke arose from within him as his body turned into that of tar.

Stan lowered his arm as he turned away, smirk changing into a line when he spotted a boy laying on the ground not far from him. Their pajamas were all too recognizable, and it caused him to regain some of his senses, however his eye was still glowing. He took slow steps to approach his unconscious friend, lips curling upward a little bit.

 _"It's Kyle!"_ He thought with relief, maintaining his cautious pace in case he woke the boy with his approaching footsteps.

_"Yes, someone you must kill."_

Stan stopped in his tracks, his visible eye wide in disbelief. He was only three more steps away from Kyle. _"K-kill?"_

 _"Stan, he is the cause of many people being taken by the darkness. The Being of Darkness was here for him and it did all of this not only under it's Master's orders, but with intentions of getting Kyle to join them as well. The boy possesses Dark powers just like their Dark leader, and if we had of waited any later, Kyle would've became a greater threat to us all. You must kill him to prevent any more events like today from happening,"_ Chris said in his utmost earnest tone.

Stan eyed Kyle sadly as he allowed his Inner Guardian's words to sink in, unable to doubt the spiritual boy thanks to their tone. But Stan shook his head, it didn't matter if Chris was telling the truth or not, there was just no way Stan could kill Kyle. Not his super best friend...

 _"I-I can't do it..."_ He admitted, looking down at the ground.

There was a brief silence. _"I figured as much, so I'll do it instead."_

Before Stan had any time to protest, a sharp pain erupted throughout his body making him cry out and hug himself as he dropped down to his knees. He clenched his eyes shut as his back hunched over, body shaking as the feeling of being pricked by needles rendered tears in his eyes and whimpers through his trembling lips.

 _"I told you not to mess up again didn't I?"_ The other boy reminded in an emotionless tone. _"It's such a simple task yet you value your childish friendship over the lives of many innocent people, it's foolish stuff like this that'll get you and your loved ones killed one day."_

There was a clear hint of venom in his voice after his second statement, however Stan wasn't aware of it as he wished for the pain to stop. Suddenly, however, Stan's body ceased it's shaking but the piercing pain was still there. With strength he could muster, he sat up some and opened his seeable eye, tears and rain trailing down both his cheeks. He looked at Kyle with a small smile before darkness took away his vision once again, and his body slumped forward, his small arms still gripping himself in a feeble embrace.

Chris narrowed his eyes into silts as he gritted his teeth angrily.

After a minute, a pair of footsteps approached Stan.

* * *

_Kenny_

Kenny skidded to a stop once he saw Cartman stood still on the street, panting lightly as his hazel eyes watched the chubby boy's back with uncertainty. Kenny then looked forward, the two of them standing a yard or two away from where they once were previously upon battling the Being of Darkness, both spotting two boys (One laying on the ground near the sidewalk, and the other standing in the yard of a house) along with said Being of Darkness. Mrs. Marsh was on the ground also, laying on her side on the street not far from them either.

Kenny widened his eyes in horror, ignoring Cartman's existence as he ran past him and towards the hopefully not dead woman. "Mrs. Marsh!" He called as he neared her, tears stinging his eyes at the lack of a reply or movement. He slowed down his pace once he's close to the brunette, taking tentative steps to lessen the gap between them. With the same feeling lingering, he stretched out a hand towards her, getting down on his knees and lightly nudging her shoulder.

It took nearly ten seconds for Kenny to get a reaction from Mrs. Marsh, groaning and moving a little as she showed signs that she was still alive. Kenny visibly relaxed as he released a sigh of relief, coming to the woman's aid when she tried to sit up. He gently sat her upright, and frowned at the state she was in. She looked beyond exhausted as she clutched her abdomen with her wounded arm, her entire self bruised and battered, blood seeping through her sleeve even though the cut had been inflicted upon her what felt like hours ago, and her skin complexion looking pale.

Kenny kept his hand behind her back in case she fell over from fatigue, pressing his lips tightly together. "Ummm..." Before he could say anything more, the woman began to chuckle softly to herself. She stopped after a second as she weakly opened her eyes, glancing over at Kenny who had his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She gave him a forced small smile. "Don't worry...I'm not dying," she assured with a raspy breath, not reassuring Kenny in the slightest bit. Her lips changed into a hard line as she looked away. "Can help me stand up?"

The little blonde bit his bottom lip, but did as asked. It took awhile, at least close to half a minute until Mrs. Marsh managed to stand on her feet with Kenny supporting her the best he could from his small height. She heaved a deep sigh, feeling pathetic having a child help her, but then the both of them nearly jumped when they heard an outburst of panic down the street. They slowly spun around to the sight of Stan with his arm held out in front of him and the Being of Darkness standing still with a big hole in it's stomach, it's purple blood splattering onto the grass and oozing out of the wound.

Kenny gaped at Stan as the little noriette placed his arm back by his side and turned around, more disturbed than shocked by what his friend just did. The black haired boy did nothing else as he stood there, seeming to be staring at the other child motionless on the ground some feet away from him.

And that's when Kenny noticed whom the boy actually was, eyes widening as they spot the familiar drenched red hair on the child's head. _"Kyle?! What's he doing here?"_

 _"I brought him here,"_ Yuna said.

Kenny blinked once, eyes going back to normal. He was still shocked of course, but he recalled Yuna's sudden disappearance then pieced that and Kyle's abrupt arrival together so he said nothing. He looked up at Mrs. Marsh, the brunette still had the same tired expression on her face. He looked back at Stan. "We should go to them," he said softly. Gently, he ushered Mrs. Marsh forward as he took a small step, the woman obliging silently and they took more slow steps toward Stan and Kyle.

Their pace was agonizing to Kenny, but since Mrs. Marsh was wounded he had no right to complain nor force her go any faster. However Kenny wanted to know why she still appeared this beaten, wondering why she wasn't healing herself or hadn't did so in the beginning. He waited a few seconds until he asked her. "Why aren't you healing yourself?"

"I am, the process is just going slow since I'm using little magic," Mrs. Marsh answered, but Kenny couldn't help but feel skeptical about her reply. He didn't bother to push the issue though, or rather the matter was discarded when they see Stan drop on his knees, seeming to be in pain as he hugged himself tight while trembling. At this, Kenny tried to quicken their pace but Mrs. Marsh wasn't cooperating, instead she stopped walking.

He looked up at her in both panic and bewilderment, the woman appearing only slightly troubled as she stared at her son. "What are you doing?! We have to-"

"Not yet," Sharon interrupted softly.

"But-" Kenny began to protest.

"No, just wait. Trust me."

Kenny bit down on his bottom lip again as he looked away from her, staring back at Stan just as the noriette stopped shaking and sat himself up. Stan stayed in that position for at least five seconds before he fell forward, still hugging his arms albeit weakly. Before Kenny could panic even more, Mrs. Marsh sighed in relief, carefully walking forward and out of Kenny's supporting hold.

Kenny watched her, waiting to see if Mrs. Marsh was going to explain to him what just happened to Stan. But he received no such thing as the woman continued trudging on. Kenny followed after her, matching her stride once beside her. "Do you know what happened to Stan?" He asked looking ahead.

There was a second of silence until Mrs. Marsh answered. "I do but just know that he's alright now."

Kenny frowned at the short reply. _"She's just going to keep herself and many other things a mystery isn't she?"_ Yuna commented. _"Also Eric is gone."_

Kenny almost stopped, instead turning his head back and finding the spot where Cartman once stood empty of his presence. Deepening his frown, Kenny faced the front.

"I'll transport us to my house," Mrs Marsh said once they're near Stan and Kyle, Kenny remained quiet. Weakened or not, a dark purple barrier big enough to engulf the three of them was formed. A separate barrier swallowed Kyle and the four were gone from the area.

...

The tar-like remains of the Being of Darkness took it's cue to disappear also, making gargle noises as it sunk into the ground. The purple blood followed suit, seeping into the grass and contaminating the short plants with it's poisonous fluids.

The gargling ceased until the black goop was no longer seen a minute later.

_**/** _

_Stan (Two weeks later)_

With a sharp intake of breath, Stan bolted upright from his position in bed, shoulders jumping and holding back a scream when something soft landed on his lap. He quickly looked around with wide eyes, noticing instantly the barely lit room was his own, the lamp on his nightstand providing the lighting. He could hear the rain beating down on the house, and a light rumble of thunder that rolled in. He whimpered a little.

 _"I'm..in my room?"_ He thought, confused.

Stan looked down at his lap to see that it was a white cloth that fell. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but it did little help as his heart was still pounding. Curling his lips downward and looking down at his lap, he tried to erase the remnants of the nightmare he'd just had. But it was so vivid that it refused to go anywhere.

It felt as if a fragment of the dream decided to take place right before his open eyes, staring at the rag that gradually began to distort out of his vision. In it's place were a row of dagger-like teeth, their owner nowhere to be seen—or rather the creature was apart of the dark background it was seen in. Suddenly and slowly, the mouth began to move, opening it's teeth and appearing to be growing as it voiced it's words in a threatening manner.

 **"It's not over yet Stanley. The darkness _will_ prevail."** A deep chuckle followed right after.

Startled back into reality, Stan released a scream and cowered underneath his covers, causing the rag to fall onto the floor. His body shook like he was out in a blizzard, curling into a ball as he hugged himself tight through his trembling.

Not even five seconds after his outburst did heavy footsteps near his room, his door flying open, but not hitting the wall, and the worried called of his name from his mother entering and approaching him. He didn't acknowledge her as he continued to shake in fear, his glossy eyes unblinking even when the covers were gently pried off of him. His mother frowned deeply at this, but made no move to touch him for she knew it would only horrify him even more. So she settled for waiting for him to calm down.

"Mrs. Marsh?"

Said woman turned only her head around to see Kenny standing in the doorway, clad in some old pajamas of Stan's and rubbing the sleep from one eye with a frown of concern on his lips. "Is Stan okay?" The blonde asked, stepping into the room then stopping in the middle.

Mrs. Marsh gave him a faint smile before looking at Stan. "He's fine, just woken up from a nightmare is all. Sorry he woke you."

Kenny stared at his black haired friend for a moment then turned around. "It's okay, I'm going back to sleep." And with that, he exited the room.

Mrs. Marsh noticed that the white rag she placed on her son's forehead was gone, and looked for it, spotting it near her feet after taking a step back from the bed. She picked it up and held on to it, seeing that Stan had stopped shaking. Carefully, she stretched out a hand towards him, gently touching his shoulder and immediately causing the boy to flinch. As if he was expecting to see the monster that was in his nightmare for a third time, he cocked his head back, tears sliding down his cheeks.

His mother produced a reassuring small smile, tenderly rubbing his shoulder. "It's okay Stan, it's over for now so you have nothing to fear."

Stan whimpered again, letting go of himself and sitting up to tackle his mother into a hug whilst crying. The brunette closed her eyes as she rubbed circles onto his back, cooing the boy amidst his bawling.

"I-I thought y-you and Kenny were-" Stan couldn't even finish his sentence and only cried harder, this time because of guilt.

"Me and Kenny are alright, we're okay," his mother said softly.

After the passing of a minute or two, Stan's crying diminished into whimpers then into sniffling. He sat back pulling away from his mother and wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his pajama shirt. Once he's done, his cheeks were tinged a light pink. He felt a warm hand gently touch his forehead, looking at his mother again to see her frowning. She retracted her hand away.

"Seems your fever has returned. I'll wet the rag again and be back with some medicine."

As soon as she turned around, Stan quickly grabbed her hand. His mother stopped and faced herself his way again, he didn't say anything as he looked into her cerulean eyes, his sapphire ones glossy once again as they silently pleaded her not to go. Not to leave him alone.

Sharon formed her lips back into a small smile, gently placing her free hand holding the dry rag over Stan's. "Don't worry, I'll be right back. The bathroom's just right over there."

Doubt and hesitation crossed Stan's face, and he tightened his hold. "B-but I don't wanna be alone right now," he whined, ready to cry all over again at the brief recollection of inhuman teeth. Not even for a split second did he want to be by himself.

His mother softly stroked his hand with her thumb. "You need some more rest and medicine sweety. I promise I won't be long, okay?"

It took a moment, but Stan replied with a nod and another sniffle. He let go of her hand and sat back. His mother turned and went to his bathroom.

The noriette stared across his room with half-lidded eyes, struggling to keep them open and his body from falling back. The heavy yet soothing rainfall only made it more difficult. His mother came back just as she promised with the wet rag and medicine a couple of seconds later, she stopped at his bed and he snapped his attention towards her. She placed the rag on her shoulder then took the small cup that was on the bottle's cap off and twisted the lid off. She carefully poured the liquid into the cup, stopping when the orange fluid was a quarter full. She handed Stan the cup.

Biting back the urge to groan as he took it, Stan tentatively put it to his lips and tipped both his head and the cup back. He squirmed a little when he felt the liquid touch his bottom lip, but opened his mouth and allowed it to enter and he quickly swallowed it, gagging afterwards and wiping his lips.

He handed the cup back to his mother as she chuckled whilst taking it. "You'll get used to it eventually."

"Yeah right, it's _so_ bitter. Blegh," he groaned, the taste lingering strongly on his tongue.

His mother placed the top back over the cap. "It'll wear off as you sleep, now lay down."

Stan did as told, and his mother pulled the covers over him, then laid the wet cloth over his forehead. She kissed it, then went back to his bathroom to rinse the cup off and placed the medicine back in its rightful place.

"Mom?" Stan called after a moment, his mother was just now leaving the bathroom.

"Yes what is it?" She responded as she neared him.

"C-can you stay?" He asked, feeling shy as he stared up at the ceiling.

The woman smiled. "Of course, until you fall asleep." She went to retrieve the chair she had left in Stan's room that was in the corner, and moved it by his bed.

There was a peaceful silence between them as the rain poured with not a hint of thunder. Stan soon found himself drifting off to sleep sooner than he expected, feeling at ease with his mother by his side. Even when the creature's canines showed itself behind the darkness of his eyelids, it didn't faze him and only ended up being whisked away as if they were dust in the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/n: I hope you enjoyed and the next chapter will be up soon)


	2. Only the Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/n: Back to this fic for awhile probably. This is chapter is going to be in Leo's and Kyle's POV)

_Leo_

The prolonged silence was broken by a sigh from the spirit woman who now took on a physical form in the realm she transported the two children to, now inside a house she made up herself. The female had long black hair that reached down to her lower back, and her angular eyes were as dark as coal. She wore an attire that matched her mysterious nature such as a long black dress with long sleeves and corresponding flats with a little boost in the heel. On her lips was black lipstick, on her ears were the same colored diamond studs, and around her left ankle was a dark ring.

Leo was sat in a chair next to a couch, looking at it sadly with a sick Tweek laying on it's cushions with a cover over him, a pillow underneath his head, and a wet cloth over his forehead. Both boys were dry and into new clothes magically made by the noirette's house, whose name remained unknown. Most spirits didn't have names, they either made up ones for themselves or had names given to them. So instead she told them to refer to her as 'Spirit'. To Leo she looked really scary, still does although her gentle voice made him fear her a little less now. She had a tone like a caring mother whenever she spoke, which Leo found really odd since she didn't sound like that before in her ghostly form.

Before entering Spirit's fresh made abode, which looked creepy and abandoned thanks to the black and grey furniture and the dull lightening from the lamp on the small table on the couch's other side, Leo with the exception of Tweek nervously looked around at their otherworldly surroundings upon stepping foot into the place. The first thing Leo looked at was the sky, it was a midnight black with a silver shining moon and dozens of tiny stars twinkling in it's vast vicinity. Something about the night sky made Leo uneasy, so he looked down and at the large gate in front of them. The metal was a dull colored aluminum, not rusty just lifeless. Not even the moon could brighten it.

The black haired woman beckoned the two children to follow her, and they did with Leo still holding onto Tweek's hand and pulling him along. She placed her hand over the center of the gate, and her palm glowed in a dark aura for a moment. During that period one side of the gate slowly creaked open. She lowered her hand back to her side and walked through once there was enough space, Leo and Tweek trailing behind her. The gate slowly creaked closed once they're in.

"This place is the land of Darkness, my home and many of the other Dark spirits' realm," Spirit had informed, guiding them down the center of a row of tall dark purple pillars. Perched on top of the first but skipping the second pillar and repeating the pattern on each side were glowing black stars. Red and purple dots of light danced around the stars, Leo finding them a tiny bit beautiful as they walked. Further and far down the row of pillars sat a large shadow of a building the size and resemblance of a mansion, the moon glaring at it ominously overhead. At the bottom on each side of the big house were statues of gargoyles, their distant red eyes seeming to be staring at them from afar.

"We're going to remain here until the battle is over," Spirit said, stopping them once there were no longer any pillars around them, leaving an empty space while the big mansion loomed in front of them eerily.

"A-are we gonna stay in that scary house?" Leo asked nervously. "And where is everyone else?"

Spirit turned around to face them. "No, that building is only for the higher-ups and their assistants. We can only go there unless we're summoned to. As for the rest of the spirits, they've all gone out in search for a host or to warn the chosen humans about the approaching darkness. I'm going to let the both of you know now that there are two different types of darkness: When I say the approaching darkness, I'm talking about the one that you see every night, kind of like this one however it's being controlled by evil beings who have Dark powers. Those with those powers are referred to as Beings of Darkness, which are slaves to the darkness."

Leo frowned in confusion, trying to take all of the information in but was having a hard time doing so. He looked over at Tweek, finding the boy wobbling slightly on his feet and his skin paler then before. His eyes were struggling to keep open underneath the gaps of his soaked hair and his cheeks were tinged pink, Leo noticing the hot feeling in his hand from Tweek's own.

"Tweek what's wrong?" Leo's frown changed into one of worry when he didn't receive a reply from the boy.

"He's come down with a fever," Spirit observed. She turned and walk to her left whilst raising a glowing hand out in front of her, once there was enough space she stopped and closed her eyes. "Not only that but if you two stay out here any longer, the darkness here will have a negative affect on you both. No human without any Dark powers are supposed to be here." Concentrating all of her energy into one hand, a large black barrier began to appear before her as she imagined a house suitable for just the three of them stay in for the time being. Although such a building was meaningless to spirits, she instead focused on the necessities such as food and clothes for only Leo and Tweek.

Leo gripped Tweek's hand in a firm hold, hoping it'll keep the other blonde haired boy standing. Leo watched as parts of the house slowly appeared inside the barrier, first starting with the roof in a white glow followed by the windows and other parts to the house.

After a minute or two, the house was completed but Spirit kept the barrier around it and the white glow faded, leaving the house looking like a silhouette inside. "To keep this worlds darkness from tampering with you two, I will keep this barrier up," she said, lowering her hand back to her side. She exhaled deeply then opened her eyes, turning around and looking at the two boys. When she saw Leo struggling to get Tweek to follow him, Spirit made her way over to them and gently took Tweek into her arms, holding him bridal style. Leo released Tweek's hand and they entered through the black sphere as if they'd gone into another world all over again.

After that lead to this very point inside the house, it was as if the house itself dried Leo and Tweek off then provided them with dry, new clothes, Leo relaxed some when his arms were secured in long sleeves. Spirit was the one who laid Tweek down on the sofa, covered him with a blanket, gave him a pillow, and placed a wet rag with a bit of healing magic in it over his forehead while Leo went and sat in the chair beside the couch, keeping an eye on the boy in case he woke up or needed something.

Time passed by afterwards, and that's when Spirit heaved a sigh. What confused Leo was that she didn't sound disappointed, rather she didn't sound troubled at all.

"What is it?" He asked nervously, looking away from Tweek and at her.

"Seems the battle has ended," Spirit said, standing beside his chair. "And the Being of Darkness was the one who fell. The children were quite strong it seems." Leo cocked an eyebrow when she formed a small pleased smile on her lips.

"So what now? Are you gonna send us back home?" He asked, not sounding the least bit hopeful. His brainwashed parents were most likely still inside the house, waiting for him to return and to corrupt him. Leo couldn't help but frown at the thought of his mother and father as he looked down at his lap, they were harsh but they still loved him. At least that's what he believed.

But Tweek on the other hand, didn't have anyone nor a place to return to. Leo highly doubted that the boy would want to return to the home where the corpses of his parents still remained, just the mere thought of their dangling heads inches away from falling off from the bit of flesh connecting to their skin made Leo scrunch his face up in disgust, and for his stomach to churn.

A cold, soft hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughts, his body jumping slightly then looking back up at Spirit, whom still had the same smile on her lips. "No you aren't going back just yet, actually for quite some time. I have something else planned for the two of you."

Curiosity crossed Leo's expression. "Planned? What do you mean?"

The smile on Spirit's lips grew at his question. "Once Tweek's fever has subsided, I'm going to train you two. Although it may effect your original powers when you acquire your Inner Guardian Leopold, but it's a risk I'm willing to take. If we're both lucky, you could end up becoming a Mixed User who uses both Dark and Light abilities."

There was silence as Leo processed what he had been told, blinking a few times before shock and horror appeared on his face. "W-What?! But-"

His exclamation fell short when he heard a rustling sound, looking over at Tweek to see him squirming and whimpering a little in his sleep, however Leo's voice wasn't loud enough to wake him. The tuft of blonde haired boy clapped his hands over his mouth in guilt, then glanced back at Spirit when she tapped his shoulder. She jabbed a thumb towards the kitchen behind them, and turned around heading in it's direction so they could continue to talk without disturbing Tweek.

Leo lowered his hands, hopped down from the chair, and followed the woman, seeing her leaning against the sink with her arms crossed and her expression neutral. The light was on overhead and casted the room in a light similar to the moon outside, only the brightness was reduced some. Timidly, Leo stood in front her whilst rubbing his knuckles together, scared to meet her gaze.

"Do you want to die Leopold?"

Leo was taken aback, locking eyes with her as fear and confusion washed over him. Spirit watched him intently for his answer, and he wasted no time giving it to her. "N-no, but-"

"Do you want to Tweek to die? Or anyone for that matter?" Spirit continued sternly.

Leo could feel tears prickling at his eyes, why was she asking these scary questions all of sudden? And her tone wasn't making him feel any better, in fact it reminded him of his mother when she would always scold or ground him in that same voice Spirit was using. Lips trembling as whimpers escaped through them, tears spilled from Leo's eyes. Whenever he cried or showed signs of doing so in front of his parents after his chiding, they would always quickly send him up to his room so they wouldn't have to hear any of it at full force. Most times his dad would either tell him to man up, stop crying, or tell him to take it up to his room, but his mother wouldn't say a words as she would give him this annoyed look instead.

Somehow Leo expected the same reaction from Spirit, but instead found himself being embraced into the woman's arms. He froze, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. His parents seldom to rarely ever calmed him down or talked him out of crying, it's like they hated him even more whenever he did.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come at you so harshly," he heard Spirit say softly in his ear. Much to his dismay although he was still too shocked to let it show, she pulled back with a warm smile. "You may be a child, but if you don't want death to claim you at an early age or anyone else you care about, then you must become strong. That's why I'm going to train you, so won't have to rely on anyone nor fear death if it's to protect those you care for."

With a gentle caress of her thumb, she wiped the tears away from Leo's eyes, but a few more spilled and he suddenly enveloped her back into a hug. They stayed that way with Spirit rubbing soothing circles onto his back as he silently cried into the fabric of her dress.

After awhile, Leo calmed down some and pulled away with a sniffle. He rubbed at his eyes with both of his hands. "Are you hungry? You nor Tweek haven't eaten anything since we entered this house," Spirit said. "And I'm surprised you didn't get sick also."

Leo stopped messing with his eyes to see her standing and going over to the refrigerator. Now that she's mentioned it, he hadn't really eaten anything except breakfast ever since he ran away from home. But because of that, food wasn't even on his mind up until now, and he's  _really_  hungry although his stomach hadn't indicated as such. Leo approached the fridge and stood where he could see inside it as Spirit looked in for something they could eat. To say he was surprised at what he saw was in understatement.

The inside was filled like they'd just gotten back from the grocery store, and Leo couldn't help but wonder how a ghost was able to know about human food. His stomach then took it's cue to announce itself, startling him but making the black haired female giggle. Leo touched his gut in embarrassment.

"I'll take that as a yes," she deduced, not taking her eyes away from the fridge. "Is there anything in particular that you want? I know to give Tweek some soup and water so I'll get started on that." She left the door open for Leo as she went to the cupboards for some soup, a cup, and a bowl.

Instead of looking inside for something to eat for himself, Leo's mind and body couldn't help but fill his thoughts and feelings with how tender this spirit of a woman was treating him and Tweek, and the longing that he'd wished his parents would be still doing this to him. Leo could feel his eyes tearing up again, but no tears fell, alternatively his orbs just appeared glossy. A smile mixed between sadness and happiness formed onto lips, and he gripped his shirt lightly.

His and Tweek's parents may be gone now, but a new adult figure has entered their lives, even if she isn't human. Neither of them have to worry about her leaving them or getting taken by this darkness that she spoke of, not only that but she's there to help them also. Giving them a place to stay and going to help them fend for themselves. Although Leo was still hesitant about fighting, he now had this weird desire to fight not only for his life, but for Tweek's and Spirit's as well. He's going to fight for the people he cared about.

The feeling of determination showed clearly in Leo's sky blue eyes, but sadly the sensation won't last long as the Dark Beings were only just beginning their attack.

* * *

_Kyle_

Confusion, wonder, and skepticism.

These three things were all what Kyle was feeling at this very moment.

The past events as to how he ended up in this place of nothing but white didn't abate his bewilderment, only increased it.

Kyle looked around for what seemed like the fifth time of him being here, and decided to walk around. It beat standing in the same spot for who knew how long, even though every inch of his surroundings looked the same. His sock covered footsteps were silent as he ambled on without a hint of where he was going, but as soon as he blinked a sudden gust of wind blew from the cloudless sky.

It wasn't powerful or cold, rather it was a gentle breeze of blank temperature. Just like the cobblestone road in the dream he had with Stan in it. Kyle stopped as he squinted his eyes some, his hair and his pajamas being pushed back by the current. The wind's pressure intensified a little, causing him to shut his eyes tight.

In that instant, everything went still but a new feeling entered the air. Kyle kept his eyes closed for a moment longer before opening them slowly, but when he saw no whiteness in his small vision, he snapped them open in shock. Where he was now made his mouth slowly open in disbelief.

_"N-no way..."_

His lime-green eyes took in the scenery of his home, however something was off.

 _Very_  off.

He was in the living room, and not a single light was on in the Broflovski home. Unconsciously, Kyle moved his feet and headed towards the stairs, even with the lack of light and a muddled mind he was able to locate them easily and ascend them carefully. An eerie chill coursed though him and kept expanding throughout his body, almost weighing him down, but he kept moving.

Only to stop when a silhouette of a person with empty dark green eyes appeared at the top of the staircase.

Kyle felt his breathing come to a halt as he locked eyes with them, his wide eyes and body trembling in fear.

The individual narrowed their eyes. "What are you doing back here?" The familiar Jersey accent hissed, and Kyle wanted nothing more than bolt from the house.

**_"Calm down Kyle, this is just a dream."_ **

Kyle blinked at the voice of a boy inside his head, once again feeling the familiarity in their caring tone. Suddenly an ear piercing cry interrupted the tense silence, and Sheila immediately spun around on her feet and rushed to the source.

 _"Ike!"_ Kyle panicked. Just as he's about to hurry to his baby brother's aid, the boy inside his head stopped him.

_**"Don't! This isn't real, Ike is okay."** _

_"But-"_ Kyle tried to protest, but a spot of white emerged from in front of him and quickly grew, causing him to cover his eyes with his arm.

When he lowered his limb down, dread hit him. He was back in the white abyss.

 _ **"There's no need to feel sad, your little brother is safe,"**_ the mystery boy assured.

"But what about my dad?" Kyle asked, tone pleading that the man was okay as well.

_**"I'm sorry but I don't know. He's gone."** _

"G-gone?" Kyle dropped onto his knees, eyes watering and ready to spill some tears.  _ **"He isn't dead, nor is he fully corrupted by the darkness,"**_  the boy added.  _ **"It's just that I'm unsure of where he is, but I'm guessing he distanced himself from you and Ike."**_

Kyle stared down at the ground, and hugged himself in a self-comforting hold. He didn't feel the slightest bit better by the information, this was all happening so fast and it was really hard for him to take it all in. Not only that but meeting his mother again took a even greater toll on his mentality, she was the very first out of the family of four to be changed after all.

"Kyle."

A barely audible sound of feet approached the redhead, who hesitantly raised his head looking towards the voice. His tear leaking eyes widened all over again at who was nearing him, clear evidence of shock, horror, and returning confusion in the lime-green pair.

Walking up to him was a boy who appeared about 13 years of age with chin-length curly red hair and red eyes, not even the warm smile on his lips made Kyle feel any less alert.

"W-who're-"

"I'm the voice that was inside your head, Luke Marson," the other boy introduced. He stopped once he's three steps away from Kyle.

Kyle stared at him stunned silence, tears ceasing to fall from his eyes. Luke sensed that the other redhead wasn't going to say anything anytime soon, so he spoke again. "From here on I'm your Dark Inner Guardian, although you've already awakened them I'm just going to assist you in strengthening your powers."

A seconds long silence passed by until Kyle finally found his voice to speak again. "W-where's Ike?"

"Right now he's still at your home, but in a barrier I placed him in. If you want I can transport him to where you are right now in the real world," Luke offered.

Without missing beat, Kyle nodded his head, relief slowly washing over him. He rubbed at his eyes with his sleeves and stood on his feet. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, you can ask as many as you want," Luke responded.

Kyle thought for a second about his first question. He's already aware of the existence of the approaching darkness, Inner Guardian's, and his own powers, so that left him with only one query. "Do you know where I'm gonna go once the moon no longer exists?" It wasn't asked the same way like with the other Inner Guardian Yuna, but he hoped to actually get a plausible answer from his own at least.

Luke's face went grim, and he glanced down at the ground. Kyle felt extremely nervous about his reply. "I do...but I cannot tell you right now...otherwise..." Luke pressed his lips together as if he was keeping himself from saying anymore.

Kyle frowned in disappointment at this. "But isn't it something I'm supposed to know?" He pressed.

"It is, however your life as it is now will change drastically," Luke said, still refusing to meet Kyle's gaze.

"...Are you lying?" Kyle asked sadly, and Luke snapped his head upwards.

"No of course not, it's just that if I tell you now..." Luke closed his eyes and sighed deeply, opening them with a pained gleam in them shortly after. "Did you know that some other Guardian's have told your friends to be cautious of you?" He asked, catching Kyle off guard.

Suddenly Yuna's voice entered his mind.

_"Sadly, Eric is no longer a trustworthy ally. At first it was you, however the fact still applies for the time being."_

Kyle hugged his right arm and looked off to the side with a hurtful look in his eyes. "I guess I did," he muttered.

He and Cartman were on the same boat it seems, but for how long Kyle didn't know. He couldn't even being to picture Stan and Kenny's looks of suspicion towards him once they meet again, although deep down he hoped they didn't take their Guardian's words to heart. He would  _never_  betray them.

"But don't worry Kyle, we can prevent the moon from being destroyed," Luke said, trying lift Kyle's spirits even if by a tiny margin.

But just as Luke suspected, it didn't work. Thankfully the landscape around them began to fade into darkness, reducing the awkwardness that came right after Luke's failed attempt at cheering Kyle up. The red-eyed redhead closed the gap between him and Kyle, and Kyle looked up at him once he saw the ground being engulfed by blackness.

Luke forced up a small smile. "If they still doubt you, just gain their trust back." Were his departing words, and then they were gone.

_**/** _

A sluggish groan escaped through Kyle's lips as he gradually came to, feeling a dull ache in the back of his head. Both inside and outside his skull.

"Mom Kyle is up!"

Blinking his eyes to clear his bleary vision, Kyle forced himself to look at the familiar voice. Through clouded eyes he was able to make out a figure of a child standing in the doorway of the room he was in, soon after another child and an adult figure came into his view.

Kyle looked away and tried to sit upright, but someone gently pushed him back down. Before he could panic, a woman's voice spoke to him.

"Don't try to force yourself to move, you've just woken up from a five days sleep after all," she said softly.

 _"A five days sleep?!"_ Kyle thought in shock.

He rubbed at his eyes to rid the obstruction of his eyesight, and was finally able to see clearly. He looked away from the ceiling only for his eyes to nearly pop out of their sockets by what he saw, but the action only caused the ache in his head to grow and he winced with another groan.

"You hit your head pretty hard back there," Mrs. Marsh said sympathetically, she placed a purple glowing hand over his forehead. Stan and Kenny stood by the bed Kyle was in on Sharon's left.

Kyle found himself relaxing as a warm, soothing sensation swept over him, the pain in his head instantly nulling away. "W-what happened?" He croaked, his throat in dire need of some water.

Mrs. Marsh frowned at his question. Once she was done the aura around her hand faded and she pulled it away. "Me, Stan, and Kenny were trying to save you from the Being of Darkness that was after you, but we were quickly overpowered. When I came to, me and Kenny found you outside out cold, then Stan passed out shortly after."

Kyle's lips formed a hard line, unsure of what to say. The rain filled the indescribable silence between them for a moment, then Sharon broke it. "Are you hungry Kyle? I can fix something for you."

"C-can I get some water?" He rasped.

"Sure, I'll be back." And with that, she went to go retrieve the little redhead a cup of water.

The silence returned once again between the three children, Stan and Kenny also uncertain on what to say to their Jewish friend. The trio each had questions to ask the other, but neither knew how to go about asking.

However one of them was bound to crack under the uneasy pressure, and it was Kenny who gave in first.

"Kyle...can I ask you something?" He began hesitantly.

Kyle hummed, and gave the blonde his attention, his lime green eyes not hiding their nervous glint. Kenny frowned at this. "What did the Being of Darkness want with you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/n: Next chapter is a time skip)


	3. Gloomy Passing Years

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/n: The dates are back and the POV's are going to be in Stan's, Craig's, Clyde's, Wendy's, and Bebe's)

It's truly hard to believe that ten years have gone by. Time was acknowledge by no one. During these passing years, more changes came about and they were nothing good. They were far from it.

After the fall of the first Being of Darkness, the Dark Master knew not to underestimate the children any longer, thus strengthened his army of creatures with more soldiers but of different species. Using the humans, animals, and insects that had been taken by the dark all around the world, the evil lord used them to his advantage. They were his pawns into giving the Inner Guardians and their host a difficult time throughout the years, while the Beings of Darkness only came into action once they saw victory close at their hands.

There were more losses than wins between the two parties, but neither side gave up.

This was only the start to dark things.

**_/_ **

_April 10th- Stan_

South Park appeared as if it was undergoing an apocalypse. Spring was nonexistent.

Buildings were nothing but either rubble, rundown, or covered in dark mess-like roots. The ground was engulfed in snow along with some black particles that fell from the storm grey and black clouds above, clear traces of darkness mingling within it. Grotesque black creatures that resembled that of a crow flew through the cool air, releasing ear-grating caws as they went to who knows where. One of the wicked things spotted something down below with it's blood red eyes and dived down towards it, cawing threateningly as if it were alerting it's prey of it's upcoming death.

Walking leisurely along the impure white snow was a teenager with neck length black hair, wearing his usual winter attire except they fit his taller frame and his hat was abandoned. Purple blood caked his clothes and bits of his hair, his face scratched and a little bloody in his own blood.

**"CAW!"**

Sighing, Stan turned his head back and his tired sapphire eyes locked onto the monster of a bird that's inches away from sinking it's sharp teeth into his flesh, it's beak spread wide.

"Watch out!"

Before Stan even knew it happened, the bird was suddenly blown to pieces by a bright blast. It's blood and organs flew in all directions, Stan groaning in disgust as he covered his face with his arm from the bird's remains. Once the accustomed squishing and splattering sounds ceased, he lowered his arm and turned around to see Kenny and Kyle approaching him, the smirking blonde's glowing white hand fading away. Half of his hair was overtaken by white, leaving both sides equal in blonde and white when the clear color swallowed a golden strand after he used his magic.

"Dude I so had that," Stan huffed, approaching his two best friends as he dusted himself off.

Kenny was the tallest out of the three while Stan and Kyle held the same height. Kenny and Kyle also wore their childhood winter attire that now fit them, except Kenny no longer wore his hood over his face and Kyle's hair was now curly and tamed.

"Yeah sure you did," Kenny said with an eye roll. Stan's battered appearance said otherwise.

"Anyway," Kyle interrupted giving Stan an annoyed glare. "What the hell took you so long? Mrs. Marsh had us come out and look for you cuz you were taking your sweet ass time coming back."

"Dude chill," Stan said with a wave of his hand, dismissing the redhead's irritation. "I was on my way back as you can see, plus the damn thing was far out there so I was obviously gonna be a bit late going home." Stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets, he walked past the two and they followed him, Kyle shaking his head.

"Couldn't you have teleported home?" Kenny asked, shoving his hands into his parka pockets also.

"Yeah I could've," Stan shrugged. "But I didn't wanna waste anymore energy so I didn't bother."

The rest of the walk was spent with small talk about random things, Stan and Kenny doing most of the talking until they reached a house that was the only building unaffected like the rest in the neighborhood a couple of minutes later. Around the Marsh's household was a large enough purple barrier to surround it, protecting the house from harms way. They entered through it followed by Stan opening the door, and they walked into the house. Immediately upon stepping foot into the living room, the noirette was tackled into a hug by his mother. Kenny and Kyle sat on the sofa.

"Stan! Thank God you're okay!" She cried, applying a bit of pressure from her arms into the embrace.

Stan winced as her tightening grip agitated his wounds, hearing him grunt in pain caused her to pull back with an apology. "I'm just glad you came back safely," she said, sounding greatly relieved as she wiped at her eyes. Although ten years had passed, Sharon still looked the same as she always had for a 52 year old. Nothing about her face indicated that she had aged, she neither looked older or younger.

Stan gave her a reassuring smile, the pain subsiding some. "Yeah...I'm back."

His mother returned the smile, turning around and heading towards the kitchen. "Are you all hungry? I made some snacks."

"I'm staaarving," said an exaggerating Kenny, rubbing his stomach.

"I'm gonna check on Ike real quick," Kyle said as he got up from the sofa and headed upstairs.

For some odd reason unknown to Stan, the house seemed less lively. Even with Kenny and Kyle here, something felt like it was missing in this house.

 _"Probably because dad and Shelly aren't here,"_ Stan thought sadly. Neither he or his mother knew of their whereabouts, or how or where they suddenly disappeared to. When they returned from their battle against the Being of Darkness, they were nowhere to been seen. His mother knew that they weren't claimed by the darkness, she placed a barrier around the house before they left. Yet somehow they managed to escape from the safe zone, and left no traces behind of where they could've went.

_"Where the hell did they go?"_

"Stan?" The call of his name snapped him out of his deep thinking, Kenny looking at him in confusion for the sudden silence. Stan shook his head to clear his mind, his mother coming back into the room with a plate of cookies in her hands. She set them down on the glass table, and Kenny immediately took some.

"I-I'm gonna go to my room, I'm not hungry and I need to take care of my wounds." Stan hurried up to his room, ignoring another call of his name but from his mother. Once he's in the hallway, he slowed his pace and heaved a deep sigh. He came to a stop when he heard hushed whispering from behind a slightly closed door on his right, knowing it belonged to Kyle instantly.

Carefully, Stan peeked in through the small narrow gap, getting a glimpse of the back of Kyle's head. He was sitting on his knees next to a bed with his boots beside him, on the bed was his little brother. Ever since Ike suddenly showed up in the house that same day when Kyle had woken up, the baby boy hadn't opened his eyes since. At first, everyone thought that he was dead, and despair quickly took ahold of Kyle. But the faint rise and fall of Ike's chest saved the little redhead from sinking into sadness any further, but it came back when Ike showed no signs of walking up. It was like he was in a deep sleep.

As the years passed by, Ike aged in his slumber, but no one knew how old he was now. Not even Kyle who's been by the little boy's side since his being here, even he had lost track. Everyone could only assume that Ike was 11 or 12 years old based on his face alone.

"It's been ten years now Ike," Kyle said softly, sounding as if he was reading his little brother a bedtime story. "It's crazy how time flies so quickly when you're not aware of it, but...nothing's changed. Instead things have gotten worse. We're managing though, and I'll be damned to let anything happen to you. You, Luke, Stan, Kenny, and Mrs. Marsh are the only family I've got, I can't...lose either of you." Kyle gently grabbed Ike's hand, giving it a soft squeeze. His head rested on the mattress. "I don't even wanna imagine it."

Kyle said nothing more after that, and Stan looked away and walked to his room, closing the door quietly behind him. His room hadn't changed at all, he had no time to even think about redecorating it thanks to training and fighting constantly. But it didn't matter to him, he liked his room the way it was and didn't have nothing to change about it. He looked at the football posters on his wall, a sad smile forming on his lips.  _"So much for me becoming a football player, I won't even be able to play the sport now."_

Stan took off his shoes and placed them near the wall by his door, walking towards his bed as he slowly took his jacket off, hissing when his wounds were lightly touched. Once the dirty material was off, he dropped it to the floor, his grey shirt seeping with spots of blood. He sighed, stripped off his shirt, and sat on the edge of his bed, not caring that he might be getting monster blood on it at the moment.

Bloody but small cuts marred his well-toned torso, some were on the upper part of his arms and back. Taking a deep breath, Stan sat up straight and closed his eyes, concentrating his energy as his body began to radiate in a red aura. After a moment, his wounds gradually began to close, the one on his cheek being the first one to heal. The rest of his injuries followed suit when a minute passed.

Exhaling through his mouth as his body relaxed and the aura vanished, Stan opened his weary eyes. He'd have Chris supply him with some of his energy for a boost, but his Inner Guardian had been acting weird these past years. They seldom talked, and when they did it was amidst training or battling against the Dark creatures. Stan wasn't sure if his changed attitude had something to do with their meeting when Chris had taken over his body that one time, but it's a huge possibility seeing as how Chris was acting even stranger then.

Stan shook his head again to rid the thought, he's still skeptical of Chris and will not let his guard down even for a moment. Stan got up and headed to his bathroom for a much needed shower.

...

After Stan was done twenty minutes later, he walked back into his room with a towel around his waist and one over his head just as there's a light knock at his door. "Come in," he said as he stopped by his bed and towel dried his hair.

His door slowly pushed forward and in walked Kenny, his jacket gone and his white T-shirt visible. Just when he's about to open his mouth, his words got stuck in his throat and he stood still in the room, his cheeks turning a bright pink. A moment passed when Stan took notice in the teen's silence, he stopped drying his hair and turned around to the sight of a red faced Kenny, his mouth slightly agape.

Stan instantly knew what got his friend flustered, and he smirked. "Like what you see Ken?"

His statement caused Kenny's cheeks turn darker, and he glared at him. "S-shut up, hurry up and put some clothes on."

Stan resumed drying his hair with a chuckle. "Nah, it's gonna take me awhile. Just tell me what's up."

Kenny closed the door with a huff, afterwards a serious expression appeared on his face as he leaned against it.

"I think I know where Karen is."

* * *

_Craig and Clyde_

Craig and Clyde were walking through the deserted streets of their hometown in silence. They both eyed the poor state the small town was in, not missing a single detail as they ventured down towards their destination. That being the Marsh's house. Although Craig looked inexpressive as he glanced around, he was just as sad as Clyde but not to the point where he's about to shed some tears though. More like he was holding them back with sheer willpower. He tried not to think of his parents and their whereabouts, hoping they were at least safe amidst this mess of a world. Ruby was still with Stripe, safe and growing up well in the human guinea pig's realm. Craig got to see her from time to time ever since he and Clyde returned to earth, and he'd rather she be there than here in this hellhole with them.

"You're still a crybaby I see," Craig commented in a deep monotone, stuffing his hands into his dark blue jacket's pockets for warmth.

Clyde sniffled and wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his red jacket. He flipped Craig off with a light glare. "And you have no soul  _I_   _see_."

Craig rolled his eyes with a small smile. He still wore his chullo, even though it's gotten a bit small for his head, his black hair was sticking out from underneath it. Clyde was still hatless, and his brown hair was a little spiky due to him not taking care of it as of late.

There was a pause of silence until a loud screech penetrated the air. The duo stopped and snapped their attention to the source, seeing a large black bird perched atop of a crooked street lamp, it's big red eyes looking directly at them.

Clyde scrunched up his face, looking both disgusted and shocked. "That's..not a crow is it?"

Craig narrowed his eyes at the creature, taking one hand out of his pocket and extending it out in front of him. "It's not even a bird, it just looks like one." Both his hand and right eye glowed as he prepared to blast the creature into smithereens. But the instant it felt itself in danger, it opened it's beak revealing sharp rows of teeth as it released an ear-piercing caw, it's wings spreading far out like dragon wings.

Just as it lunched itself at them, Clyde yelped and cowered behind Craig who quickly shot a white energy ball at it. Shooting it dead in it's still opened mouth. The blast went straight through it, leaving a hole that showed not only it's blood and flesh dripping out but the rest of the outside world. Then it dropped to the ground, it's eyes wide and unblinking. It's purple blood seeped into the snow in a great mass around it's body, then began to dissolve into black particles that drifted into the air.

Both Craig and Clyde sighed, Craig's eye and hand returning to normal. "That's sick dude," Clyde grimaced. Craig shrugged and stuffed his hand back into his jacket pocket. "Can you get off from behind me now?" He deadpanned.

Clyde patted his shoulder and moved from behind him. "Not my fault you're so damn tall, you're like my personal shield." He said with a goofy smile.

Craig flipped him off, then they proceeded walking to the Marsh's residence. Only stopping a few times to take care of the corrupted birds that tried to eat them, Craig doing all of the killing.

By the time they reached the Marsh's, Craig was the only one covered in splatters of purple blood while Clyde remained clean, keeping true to his word about Craig being his personal shield. They stopped in front of the barrier. "You know how we're getting in?" Clyde asked, eying the large purple barrier in awe.

Craig took a moment before responding. "Yeah, like this." He walked straight into it, creating a ripple along the way.

Clyde blinked before doing the same. "Oh," was all he said with a straight face.

They approached the porch, and Craig lightly knocked on the door. "Don't you find this weird?" Clyde asked as they waited for entrance inside.

"Aside from fighting monsters almost everyday, not really. I mean we were told about this ahead of time, and we just had to wait until we were old enough to meet her," Craig replied.

Clyde rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, but still..." He trailed off, not really sure how to explain this troubling feeling.

Craig looked at him from the corner of his eye. "But what?" He pressed.

Much to Clyde's relief, the sound of the door being unlocked caught their attention. Slowly it was pulled back, and the one doing it was Mrs. Marsh, a skeptical look on her face that quickly disappeared at the sight of them. She opened it a bit wider, but stood in the doorway.

"Craig? Clyde? What brings you two here?" She questioned.

"Our Inner Guardians told us about you and wanted us to meet you, saying that you're in need of allies," Craig answered.

"I see, that is indeed true," the woman mused. She spared not a single look of doubt as she stepped aside and let the two teens in, they walked into the living room. "Have a seat, would you two like anything to eat or drink?" Sharon asked as she closed the door and joined them in the room.

"Can I have a soda?" Clyde asked as he sat on the sofa. She nodded while grabbing an empty plate that was on the glass table.

"I'll stand, don't wanna get anything dirty, and can I have a soda too?" Craig said.

"It's fine, I can clean the sofa later. And two cans of soda comin' up." Craig did as told as Sharon left and went to the kitchen.

"Sucks bein' a giant ain't it?" Clyde decided to tease, earning another middle finger from Craig in reply. The tall noirette took off his jacket and threw it in his friend's face, then took off his chullo, resting it in his lap. Clyde groaned in disgust as he pried the dirty material off, and threw it back at Craig, he laid it on the sofa's arm.

They sat in silence until Clyde broke it with a question, his tone soft and a bit sad. "Do you think Tweek is still here? Or any of our friends for that matter?"

His query caused Craig to scowl at no one or anything in particular at the mention of their past friends' name, but he lost it with a sigh as he sat back. "I don't know."

 _"Master Craig, I wasn't able to sense them at first thanks to the barrier, but there are three Guardians here. Two are Dark and the other is Mixed,"_ Stripe informed. Clyde's Inner Guardian told him as well after he had asked his question.

"Looks like some of our friends  _are_  here," Craig mumbled, relief evident in his monotone.

"Wonder who they are..." Clyde mumbled as well, laying his head back on the cushion behind him.

After a minute, Mrs. Marsh came back with two cans of soda in her hands. She set them on the table in front of them, then took a seat in the arm chair. "Sorry for the wait, I was trying to look for some snacks but I need to restock on both food and drinks."

Both Craig and Clyde sat up, grabbing their drinks and opening them while giving her their thanks. "So where have you two been staying these past ten years?" Mrs. Marsh asked.

"In our Guardians realm," they both answered at the same time before drinking. "We came back here I think last year and stayed at my house since then," Clyde added, and Craig nodded. Craig set his can down on the table while Clyde took another sip and held his.

"That's good to hear," Sharon smiled softly. "And I'm glad you two are here, because we're going to need all the help we can get." Her smile changed into a frown. "A big battle is going to happen soon."

Both boys appeared shocked at this. "A big battle?" Clyde questioned, getting a little nervous.

Mrs. Marsh nodded. "Yes, have you noticed the dark splotches inside the clouds while being here?"

Both Craig and Clyde furrowed their eyebrows as they silently thought on her question. But after a few moments, realization yet dread crossed Craig's expression. "Those dark splotches are darkness, and that means it's approaching faster than we expected?"

Clyde looked at him widened eyes. "No way seriously?!"

"Correct, the darkness is nearing quicker than we thought," Mrs. Marsh agreed sadly. "That's why we must make haste in strengthening ourselves and acquiring more hosts. I don't know how many hosts there are, even if we have to leave this town and go out and find them ourselves, but the sooner we do, the lesser we'll have to worry for the meantime."

Troubled, Craig kitted his eyebrows again, meanwhile Clyde looked about ready to panic as he placed his can down on the table. Their Inner Guardians were quiet as well, deep in thought and just as unsettled. Mrs. Marsh eyed them with a sad smile. "I know you two are anxious about this, and I completely understand. Stan and his friends reacted the same way when I told them, but I also told them that as long as they have their Inner Guardian, me, and their friends beside them...Then they needn't fear. No matter how close or how powerful the darkness becomes, we will have each others backs through this until the very end. We  _will_  get through this together."

 _"She's right Master Craig,"_ Stripe said with a smile.  _"I'm with you all the way, and Ruby is too."_

Slowly, as if the words from Mrs. Marsh had a magical affect on them, Craig and Clyde looked at her then at each other and smiled.

* * *

_Wendy and Bebe_

"Looks like we're here," muttered a hesitant Bebe. Her frizzy blonde hair was down to the middle of her back, and her ears were pierced with diamond studs in them. She wore a pink jacket over her red sweater, black skinny jeans, and ankle boots with a small heel.

"Yeah...but can we even call this our home anymore?" Asked a melancholy Wendy. Her black hair was also down to her back, but was into a low-tied ponytail. On her head was her favorite purple hat, and around her neck was a light purple scarf. She wore a short black jacket over a knee length purple dress with black stockings and flats.

"No," Bebe sighed. "But we came back here for a reason, so let's hurry up and find her."

Wendy nodded in agreement, and they began to walk. She looked around with a deepening frown, the place looked utterly destroyed and she's surprised anyone was still living here. She and Bebe had been staying in Elena's home dimension for the past ten years, training and getting to know each others Guardians better. Turns out due to Bebe being corrupted by the darkness, her Guardian, Emerald, ended up becoming a Mixed one. Emerald was originally a Light Guardian, but when she tried to free Bebe from the corruption, she almost suffered the same fate if Elena hadn't of helped her before the manipulation took full effect. So now the Darkness mingled within her and Bebe's Light magic.

 _"If Mrs. Marsh is still here, then that must mean Stan is here also,"_ Wendy felt her lips curling into a small smile at the thought of seeing Stan again after so long.  _"Wonder if Clyde and Craig are here too."_

Suddenly, a loud inhuman cry startled her from her thoughts, and the duo quickly came to a stop. "W-what the hell was that?" Bebe asked with a nervous sweatdrop, glancing around for the monster.

"Up there!" Wendy pointed up at the sky. High in front of them were two abnormal looking black birds, flapping their big wings to keep them hovering in the air. Their red eyes stayed locked on the two female's before they both gave a loud caw, and flew towards them, opening their beaks wide.

"Holy shit!" Bebe exclaimed. They dodged out of the way, and the creatures flew high up before doing a U-turn, cawing again as one went for Bebe and the other went for Wendy.

"Get ready!" Wendy declared, and Bebe nodded.

Simultaneously, they stretched out their right arm, Wendy's wrist emanating in a yellow light and Bebe's in a purple one. A white glow formed around their hand as they prepared for an attack, their enemies quickly closing in on them, ready to get a taste of their flesh.

"Peirce through, Light Needle!" They chanted in unison.

The light around their hand shrunk until it was in the center of their palm, instantly a thin string of light shot forth at high speed. The girls' aim was so precise that their needle blast went straight through the two birds' opened mouth, their purple blood gushing out from both ends of the small, thin hole. Wendy and Bebe lowered their arm just as the birds fell to the ground, twitching as death slowly claimed them in black particles around their body.

"God that's disgusting," Bebe groaned.

"Looks like the darkness has taken animals now," Wendy mused with grimace. She shook her head and turned away. "Let's go, we might run into more if we stay out here any longer."

"Can't we teleport there?" Bebe asked as they walked.

 _"No, the Queen of Darkness placed a barrier around her home. It's best to go there by foot,"_ Emerald said, causing Bebe to groan in disappointment.

"We'll be alright," Wendy reassured. "If it's just those freaky looking birds then there's nothing worry about." Bebe rolled her eyes with a pout and crossed her arms.

 _"Wait you two, I sense something amiss,"_ Elena suddenly said.

Wendy came to halt with worry and confusion on her face, and Bebe did the same. _"What is it?"_ Wendy asked, readying herself for the worst.

Elena was quiet for a second.  _"I'm not entirely sure, I felt it one moment but then it was gone the next. Whatever it is please be careful, I'll alert you as soon as I sense it again."_

Wendy narrowed her eyes as she nodded nervously, she looked at Bebe. "Emerald warned you too right?"

"Yeah, looks like it's not just birds after all."

Wendy hummed in agreement, and they continued to walk with caution to the Marsh's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/n: Yeaaah I lost obliviously lost track of Ike's age......)


	4. Misfortune Pt. 5- Deception and Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (A/n: This chapter is in Leo's and Kenny's POV. Please enjoy)

_Same day- Leo_

"Are the two of you ready to return home...or to what's left of it?" Spirit asked Leo and Tweek. They were in the living room of the haunted-like house, the two teens were sitting on the couch while Spirit was sitting in the armchair next to it.

To say Leo was nervous was an understatement, he was terrified to see the state South Park was in now. Over the past ten years he and Tweek had done nothing but train in the Dark realm with Spirit as their teacher, not once did they leave the place. She wasn't easy on them neither was she lenient, but she made sure they didn't receive serious injuries under her teachings.

Both blonde's have grown into fine young men, although Tweek still had the eyes of a dead fish he's been slowly opening up to Leo and Spirit. Leo's hair grew out and covered his head and reached down to his neck, and he was wearing the same clothes he wore when they first stepped foot into this house though they fit his taller figure. Tweek's hair was still all over the place, no one could tell if it grew or not, his clothing was a black turtleneck sweater and black jeans. Spirit remained the same in both appearance and attire.

After a minutes tense silence Leo spoke, staring down at his balled hands in his lap. "H-how bad is South Park?" Was returning home even worth going back to after all these years? He's already grown accustomed to this realm although Spirit told him not to for he still hadn't acquired his Inner Guardian yet, and they didn't know what powers they held. This place was more of a home than when he was living with his parents, even with the constant training at least Spirit didn't ground him for the stupidest things, or at all. As the years passed by he didn't care about his parents' wellbeing anymore, whether they were still alive and still searching for him or not was no longer of his concern. He wasn't even sure if he still loved them either, it's like something dark was slowly growing within him the longer he stayed here and his emotions were becoming impassive.

"It's beyond bad," Spirit answered, snapping Leo from his thoughts. He looked up at her. "Half of the world has been consumed by the darkness, but some people down there are doing their best to keep South Park from sinking any further, and I'm sure you and Tweek know them very well." While Leo looked slightly hopeful at that, Tweek on the other hand appeared blank faced. But deep down he was feeling a bit fearful of meeting the familiar faces, those being Craig's and Clyde's.

"So? What's your decision?" Spirit resumed with her arms crossed. "You two don't have to go now if you don't want to, I'm not going force you guys. But the sooner the better, the darkness waits for no one and your Inner Guardian may be still searching for you Leopold."

Silence took ahold of the house once again as Leo looked back down at his lap with a sad and conflicted expression on his his face, Tweek looking tight lipped as he stared at the wall across from him.

"What do you wanna do Tweek?" Leo asked not looking at his friend.

The other blonde took a moment to reply, keeping a fake interest on the wall. "...I don't know. I don't care either way."

Leo's frown deepened at his lackluster answer, but he came to a conclusion. He looked up at Spirit again. "We'll go."

The Dark spirit gave him a small smile, he seemed very nervous although his tone said otherwise. He really was ready to return home, but he was just not ready to see the state it's in and she totally understood that. The darkness was both cruel and a corrupter to all living and nonliving things, no one was safe until it's defeated along with the Dark Master that's trying to take it as a whole. Spirit rose to her feet, arms still crossed. "Very well, we will depart now."

Leo and Tweek stood up and turned to face her, both expressing anxious anticipation on their face. Spirit's lips formed into a line as she unfolded her arms then stuck one out with an opened palm. "Be prepared to put your training in action once we land in South Park, there are all sorts of creatures roaming about on earth now." Her hand began to produce a dark energy from her palm.

Leo could feel a nervous drop of sweat forming as he balled his hands into fists at his sides. He relaxed some when he felt another hand slowly slipping into his, and he allowed Tweek's hand access into his own and gripped his hand firmly. Leo looked over at Tweek with a small smile of comfort to which Tweek returned with a nod.

"We're ready," Leo said as he turned and looked at Spirit.

The black haired woman nodded, and increased the energy in her hand until it swallowed all three of them into a black bubble. From there they were gone, and the house was no more, leaving an empty space between the pillars and the mansion in the far the distance.

* * *

_Kenny_

"Kenny...are you sure?" Stan asked skeptically, still in nothing but a towel with another one on his head.

Nodding, Kenny tried hard not to appear affected by his friend's slightly damp muscular body, it's taking a great effort for him not to blush again. "Positive, I'm gonna go look for her now and I want you to come with me."

Raising an eyebrow as he threw the towel that was over his head on his bed, Stan then walked over to his dresser for some clothes. "Okaaay, but why just me? You told my mom and Kyle about this too?" He asked as he opened the draws for some underwear, a shirt, pants, and a pair of socks.

Kenny looked to the floor. "No not yet," he shook his head. "Actually I don't think I plan on telling them, especially not to Mrs. Marsh." Since she's already overprotective about either one of them leaving to kill off one or more of the Dark monsters, she would, without a doubt, ask many questions and would most likely have Kyle tag along with them and Kenny didn't want that. He slowly lost his trust in the redhead throughout the years, the way he's been behaving seemed very suspicious and odd to Kenny.

He of course didn't say anything about Kyle's strange behavior to neither Stan or Mrs. Marsh, but he and Yuna knew something was going on with him although they weren't really sure of the cause. Was it because Ike was mysteriously in a coma or was it something else entirely? Either way Kyle's cold attitude hadn't been sitting well with Kenny lately and he wondered if Stan had been noticing it.

"Dude," Stan said, snapping Kenny from his thoughts. He looked up from the floor seeing the black haired teen carrying his clothes over to his bed and setting them down on it. "Just tell her, or else we'll be in deep shit once she finds us gone."

Kenny frowned. "I'd rather get in trouble than have Kyle tag along with us." His eyes expanded in shock at his own words. Shit he didn't mean to say that out loud...

Stan narrowed his eyes at him slightly. "What do you mean by that?" He asked carefully, getting a bit defensive.

Kenny felt like punching himself square in face right now. He had planned to keep his mouth shut about Kyle until Stan showed some signs of noticing the redhead's behavior. But now he blew it, so he might as well come clean about it now. He pushed himself up from the door and looked Stan dead in the eyes. "Kyle hasn't been acting himself lately, and I bet you've noticed it too haven't you?"

He didn't expect to see Stan appear nervous all of a sudden before he bit his bottom lip and broke eye contact, an obvious sign that he  _was_  aware about Kyle's changed attitude. "No way, you knew? But why haven't you-"

"Because I couldn't," Stan interjected calmly. He looked back at Kenny with a sigh. "I was trying really hard to prevent it from happening, but I obviously didn't get anywhere."

Kenny frowned in confusion. "What are you talkin' about? Am I missin' somethin' here?"

Instead of getting an answer, Stan shook his head and turned away, looking at his clothes. "It's nothing, what's done is done. I'll go with you so wait for me outside."

Kenny had a lot of questions to ask Stan, but felt asking them wouldn't do him any good. At least he knew he wasn't the only one aware of Kyle's change. He mumbled an "Alright" before leaving the room in a white flash, Stan rubbing the back of his neck once he's gone. He put on his clothes and joined Kenny outside the barrier four minutes later, wearing a long sleeved shirt instead of a short sleeved one he initially picked out to wear. Kenny seemed not fazed by the cold in nothing but his white T-shirt, orange pants, and boots.

"Where to?" Stan asked.

"My house," Kenny answered without missing a beat, causing Stan to look at him disbelief.

"Are you serious? We've already checked there at least twice now, and she nor your family were there," the noirette told him.

Kenny looked to him with a small smile, feeling determined. "I know but I have a feeling she's there today so let's go." He grabbed Stan's hand and teleported them to his old rundown bungalow in another white flash of light.

...

They entered the poor side of town in a matter of seconds, standing before the perfectly attached home in the McCormick's yard. Stan gaped at the bungalow in great bewilderment while Kenny looked at it in relief.

"B-b-but how?" Stan nearly spluttered, still eying the house. "This wasn't even here before!"

"Goes to show that Karen might actually be here." Kenny practically beamed.

 _"Kenneth...something isn't right about this house,"_ Yuna observed nervously.

Brushing off Yuna's warning, Kenny walked forward into his home, Stan taking a moment before following after him. But the door suddenly shut closed in his face. "What the hell?" Unaware of Stan pounding his fist against the door and calling out his name, Kenny advanced further in as he looked around, finding not a single thing missing nor out of place. The floorboards still creaked as he walked, a sound he never thought he'd miss. The house still stunk of alcohol and cigarettes although it was faint, there were hardly any beer cans lingering on the floors, couch, and table. Just when he's about head to his little sister's room, Yuna's voice suddenly yelled inside his head.

_"Stop!"_

Her urgent tone greatly startled Kenny to a standstill.  _"W-what is it?"_

Before he could hear his Inner Guardian's answer, another voice alerted him. "Kenny...?" Hazel eyes widened at the sound of a little girl's voice, Kenny directing them towards Karen's room. Standing in the doorway was the child herself, her dirty blonde hair past her shoulders and her brown eyes wide as they stared at her older and taller brother.

"K..Karen?" Tears were ready to escape from Kenny's eyes, his sister had barely changed at all during the long years. Something he should've taken notice in, but his mind was only focused on bringing his little sister back home with him. To their new home.

"Is that...really you Kenny?" Karen asked hesitantly as she stepped out of the doorway in the same fashion, staring at the teen's used to be blonde head as she approached him. "What happened to you and your hair?"

"Umm," Kenny began sheepishly, not knowing where to start. He's going have  _a lot_  of explaining to do.

Karen smiled softly at him, having closed the gap between them. Kenny mimicked her smile as he got down on one knee and quickly enveloped her into a hug. He squeezed her a little bit tightly, just making sure that she was real and that he wasn't dreaming this. He tuned out Yuna's voice just as she was telling him to let go of her, thinking that she was being paranoid over nothing again.

"Have you seen mom, dad, and Kevin Kenny?" Karen's gentle voice asked.

"I'm sorry, but...they're gone," Kenny whispered, relinquishing the fact that the two of them will never see their family members again.

"Oh...," the brunette mumbled, then silence.

Amidst the quietness, something felt off. Slowly, Kenny pulled away and his eyes widened instantly in shock at what he saw next. There was a sinister little grin on the girl's lips, her brown eyes a shade darker than normal that they appeared like soil.

"No..."

 _"Kenneth get away from her!"_ Yuna yelled.

Kenny did as told without any hesitation, jumping back as a black haze of smoke began to surround Karen's body. Kenny scowled deeply as he balled his hands into fists at his sides, shaking them slightly. He watched as the dark smoke swallowed Karen completely and her eyes glowed white within it, sharp abnormal teeth showing afterwards in a form of a smirk.

The two toned haired teen narrowed his eyes further.  _"A Being of Darkness. Should've fucking known."_

* * *

_Leo_

"Here we are," Spirit announced as she summoned away her barrier. Leo and Tweek looked around in horror at their hometown from in the middle of the snow covered street. The buildings that were barely intact had black roots on them, showing no indication of where they sprouted from. The once white snow fell from the clouds above that appeared darker than usual, the two teens could see darkness blending in inside it. But what really shocked the two the most were the large birds that were staring them down from a crumbled building a few yards away, there seemed to be at least five of them.

 _"W-what the hell...?"_ Leo thought terrified, feeling his hand in Tweek's losing it's grip before letting go entirely. Leo's eyes widened when he saw Spirit walking forward, not at all worried about the birds still eying them. "Spirit what-"

"We don't have time to be wasting around out here," she said, not stopping.

"She's right," Tweek said in agreement, looking at the creatures with narrowed eyes. "We have to get away from here before those things decide to attack us."

Frowning, Leo and Tweek quickly caught up to Spirit, Leo trying hard not to look at the flock of birds watching them with their big red eyes. "But where are we going?" He asked in a low voice.

"We're going to look for your Inner Guardian, and I think I know where they might be," Spirit answered.

Leo hummed and no other words were spoken as they ventured past the birds, Leo sparing them one quick glance that made his body shiver with goosebumps. And it wasn't just because of the cold. He crossed his arms tucking his hands underneath his armpits for warmth, since he's been in the Dark realm for so long where the temperature was neither high or low, his body grew fond of the place. He felt it's probably going to take awhile for him to get used to this town's cold weather again.

As they continued to walk on, the birds now far behind them, Leo looked around again. If it weren't for the ruined buildings, the black particles mixing in with both the snow and clouds, and for one of the birds they saw previously flying in the air releasing a monstrous screech every now and then, South Park would've looked the same as it always had. But Leo didn't frown, his lips remained as a thin line. He looked over at Tweek, seeing the boy looking straight ahead, not bothering to look around anymore. Leo looked away and at the ground.

After what felt like close to ten minutes, Spirit stopped causing the two teens to do the same. Leo once again looked around, his sky blue eyes widening once he spotted the familiar red-brown house on his right a few walks away. Unlike most houses in the area, somehow his house was still in one piece, looking as though someone or something was protecting it throughout the years.

"Seems I was right, your Inner Guardian is most likely in there if your house is unaffected." Spirit turned to Leo with a look of sympathy on her face, but the teen was taking a step back, his horrified eyes lingering on what used to be his home. A flash of his parents' glowing green eyes appeared in his mind.

"N-no..." Leo muttered with the shake of his head, taking another step back. Tweek eyed him both in concern and understanding.

"I know you aren't ready to go there just yet, but your parents are no longer there anymore. In fact none of the corrupted people are here," Spirit said.

Leo wasn't relieved in even the tiniest bit, this time taking two steps further away from his house. "I-I'm not going anywhere near that house." He didn't care that his parents weren't there anymore, he wanted nothing to do with the place he once called his home.

Spirit heaved a sigh while Tweek approached his shaken friend. "It's okay, we don't have to go there if you don't want to," he told Leo softly, stopping in front of him with a small smile. "We'll go whenever you're ready. Okay?"

Leo stared at Tweek with glossy eyes for a moment before looking off to the side while dropping his arms down beside him. "Sorry," he mumbled, sounding deeply ashamed for being a coward. He looked back at Tweek when the boy placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Don't be, wanna come with me to check out my house?"

Leo's eyes widened again. "Your house? But your parents..." He trailed off.

Tweek lowered his hand down to his side, his smile changing into a sad one. "I know, and their bodies are most likely there too...But do you still wanna tag along?" Leo returned the smile and nodded. Tweek turned around to look at Spirit. "We're gonna go to my house, if that's okay?"

She waved him off. "I don't mind, guess I'll go talk to the Guardian inside Leopold's home then." She turned away and began walking towards the Stotch's house. "Whenever you two get done you know where to find me," she called over her shoulder.

"Ready?" Tweek asked looking back at Leo, whom nodded again. Tweek took his hand in his, then a dark purple barrier engulfed the two and transported them to Tweek's house.

* * *

The duo stood in front of the partly demolished home of the Tweak's. The roof looked caved in with the indication that something big must've crashed into it, and little black vines were almost all around the house like crawling centipedes. Those were the only things they saw, hoping the inside wasn't all that bad. If Tweek wanted to go in that is.

Leo spared a glance at his friend, seeing his dull blue-green eyes glossy as he appeared to be holding back his tears. Leo squeezed his hand causing them to lock eyes, the sky blue eyed boy giving him a small smile. Tweek returned it weakly then looked back at his home. Before he could decide on whether he wanted to go in or not, he heard a voice.

_"Murderer."_

_"Huh?"_ Tweek's eyes grew slightly at the woman's cold voice inside his head, Leo staring at him worriedly. "Tweek?" He called, but didn't get a response from the other.

 _"You got us killed."_ This time it was a man's voice Tweek heard, and he sounded just as bitter.

Leo grew even more concerned when Tweek released his hand and gripped at his hair, tears finally streaming down his cheeks as his body shook. "Tweek what's wrong?!" He still didn't receive a reply from the suddenly frightened blonde. Leo looked at the house trying to find the source, but sadly saw nothing else out the ordinary.  _"What's going on?"_ He thought while furrowing his eyebrows.

 _"You and that monster are murderers!"_ The man and woman chorused venomously.

Tweek sunk to his knees as he shook his head with clenched closed eyes, his tears never ceasing their descent down his cheeks and onto the white and black snow. Startled, Leo immediately got down on his level, placing a hand on his trembling shoulder. "Hey what's the matter?! Tweek?!"

Suddenly the front door slowly creaked open, and a powerful fragrance of decayed flesh filled the air around them. Scrunching up his face in disgust at the smell, Leo covered his nose and mouth with his free hand and directed his attention to the house again, the door opened all of the way. Deja vu washed over him as he glanced inside the pitch black entrance, then a double pair of glowing dark green eyes emerged from within.

Leo's wide eyes gaped into the all too familiar dark green ones, dread and confusion heavily setting in.  _"Spirit said none of the corrupted people were here, so why-"_

"There he is," a woman hissed, voice so raspy that she sounded like a dying old lady. "And it seems he's brought a friend."

"Friend? More like accomplice, the bastard's a ruthless murderer after all," a man corrected hatefully.

 _"Murderer? Are they talking about Tweek?"_ Leo thought, puzzled. Feeling no more movement from Tweek, he looked over at his figure finding him looking in the doorway with quivering eyes, his cheeks brightly pink and wet.

"I-it can't be..." Tweek stuttered, gripping his hair even tighter. "They're supposed to be dead!"

The pair in the house giggled at his outburst. "Yeah no thanks to you," the female pointed out harshly. "Our own son sacrificed us, his parents, for the lives of his other friends. How despicable."

 _"What?!"_ Leo took his hand away from his face and nudged Tweek's shoulder lightly for his attention. "Is what she said true?" He didn't believe her, not even in the slightest bit. There's no way Tweek did anything inhumane like that, he was still a child at the time!

"Of course it's not!" Tweek yelled in his direction. "I-I...that damned Being of Darkness killed them...but it was my fault." He looked away from Leo, staring sadly at the ground with returning tears.

"Tweek..." Leo frowned deeply. Another bout of giggles interrupted the brief silence.

"Damn right it was your fault," Tweek's father said. "But we'll forgive you if you do one simple thing for us."

Slowly Tweek's head rose up and his saddened eyes gleamed with small hope at his father's proposition. "No Tweek don't listen to him," Leo said trying to talk some sense into his friend. When Tweek showed no signs of listening, Leo shook his shoulder again. "Look at their eyes! They aren't your parents anymore, they've been-"

"Silence outsider!" Tweek's mother hollered.

Leo didn't have any time to react when a black tentacle abruptly slithered it's way around his body, and separated him from Tweek. He was lifted into the air, groaning as he struggled in the tight embrace. Tweek snapped out of it then. "No, put him down!"

"Oh?" Mrs. Tweak narrowed her eyes. "Are you telling your mother what to do?"

Tweek stiffened and looked back down at the ground, dejected. "N-no, I'm sorry."

"Now back to what I was saying," Mr. Tweak said. "Will you hear what we have to say Tweek?"

Tweek scrunched up his face, but looked back up and nodded. "D-don't!" Leo's strained voice exclaimed. One of his eyes were open and his teeth were clenched tight. "Don't l-listen to whatever those monsters have to say-Augh!" The pressure of the tentacle increased, Leo shutting his eyes with a thin trail of blood leaking out from his gritted teeth. It felt like his inside were being crushed together, and it was really getting difficult to breath.

"An outsider needs to keep their mouth shut and know their place," Mrs. Tweak growled. "Oh I know, why don't you keep 'it' entertained for awhile. I'm sure it could use some company."

The dark limb lifted Leo a bit higher into the air, then tossed him into the hole of the roof. Tweek winced at the not so gentle landing, then gaped at his parents in disbelief. Shakily and with numb legs, Tweek stumbled onto his feet, giving the evil eyes in the house an angry yet troubled stare. "Please don't do this, I'll do whatever you say but please leave Leo out of this. He didn't do anything wrong."

"If he'd just kept his mouth shut we wouldn't have bothered him," his mother argued. "We only have business with you and you alone. You only have yourself to blame for the upcoming death of that friend of yours."

Hearing those words made Tweek feel very regretful, recalling the Being of Darkness saying something similar back when he was a child.

_"See Tweek, this was supposed to be Clyde and Craig, not your parents. Whether they're a baby, a child, or an adult wouldn't have mattered to me, as long as you learned your lesson for disobeying orders. What I merely did was set an example, if you ever were to disobey the Master's orders, let's just say you will rue the day you did. You only have yourself to blame little Tweek, keep that in mind as you live your days in loneliness."_

Tweek curled his hands into fists. "You're right, I  _do_  blame myself. But I was still a kid who didn't know jack shit of what was going on at the time, but if I had of only listened to him you two wouldn't have died. You may think I valued my friends over my own parents, but I don't and I never did. I just couldn't choose who I wanted to die back then, I loved both you and my friends equally. It was impossible for me. But now..." His hands began to glow in a dark purple aura. "I have to continue living with nothing but regret, and I know for sure it'll haunt me till the day I die. So the only thing I can do right now to repent for my ignorance..." A lone tear slid down his cheek as his lips formed into a faint smile. "Is to get revenge and hope to never make the same mistake again."


End file.
